Water-wheel.



J. HAY.

WATER WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1'912. 1,149,260. Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

i6 2 28 l9 1 22 w 229 3 0 2:9 V 3.1 I 10 WfTZVESSES INVENTOR J55? Hayw c LUMBIA PLANOORAPH (10., WASHINGTON D c JOHNHASQOF JUNCTION CITY, KANSAS.

WATER-WHEEL.

Specification of Iietters Patent;

Patented An it, 1915,

np ligationnleci September 16,1912. SeriaI NO. recess.

' To allwhom it may concern it is driven,

Be it known that I, JOHN HAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Junction City, in the county of Geary and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWVater-lVheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the; art

to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is a water wheel of the type which is vertically adjustable for the purpose of adapting the wheel to various changes in the level of the water by which Where the banks of a stream are low and high dams oannot'fbe erected economically, it has been a difficult problem to utilize the power of shallow streams for turning water wheels which operate motors.

A purpose of this invention is to utilize the flow of a stream of water under vari- I one conditions, and obtaining power there fromwhen the water is shallow as wellas when it is deep, thereby attaining results substantially the equ1valent of deepening the water of a shallow stream. p i

Afurt her purpose of thlliVGIltlOILlS to retain the wheel submerged, or partly submerged, at various depths, and thereby increase or diminish the Dowerof the wheel.

Farther objects and purposesof the in. rention will become apparent from the following detaildescription The invention con'teinplatesthe mounting of a wheel on a isluiceway in such a manner that the power of the water flowing through the sluiceway will be directed upon one side of the wheel only and therebyincreasethe power of the motor.

Tlheinvention consists, also, in means for guidin the vertical movement of thewheel withreference to the sluiceway, in manually operated means for raising and lowering the v wheel with reference to the sluiceway, as

well as counterbalancing members serving to retain the wheelin a desired position.

In the accompanying drawings, one embodiment of the invention is illustrated, but the construction shown therein is to be un derstood as illustrative only and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view,

through a sluiceway showing the wheel in position at the bottom thereof, F g. 2 is'a ably mounted upon a vertical shaft.

each side of the sluiceway is provided a box-- horizontal sectional view illustrating the po sition of thecounterbalancing means with reference to the wheel. Fig. 3 isfa detailed view-of the elevating and counterbalancing means,

The water wheel 5 may be of any preferred construction and in the drawings is shown provided with upper and lower disks 6, 7, and Wlth curved blades 8 connecting said disks. The blades 8 extend from the peripheries of said disks inwardly towarda shaft 9,150 which the wheel may be connected in any suitable manner, as at 1,0; Thiswater wheel 5 is shown arranged in a sluiceway 11,-

having a plurality of deflectors 12 and 13 which operate to cause the fullforce of the water to be exerted upon one side of the wheel, with substantially none of the energy of' the waterjafiecting the other, or negative, side of the wheel, i r

The wheelis adapted to slide up and down with reference to the shaft, the lower end of the shaft 9 being stepped at 1d,";while the upper, end thereof is provided with a sleeve 15 having a flange l5 positioned above an upper support 16. The flange l5 and support 16 inav be provided with a race for ball'or roller bearings. Power is transmitted from the shaft 9 to other forms of machinery by any suitable means, as by gear f A lower horizontalsupporting member la, upon wlilch the wheel 5 rests, is also sliding 18 for the reception of counterbalancing Upon weights19 and a. portion of the elevating mechanism. An end of the base support-F 1 I injg member 1r extends into each of these boxings, 18, as shown in Fig. 2. To the two protruding ends of the supporting member are attached one end of an elevating chain or cable 20. Each cable or chain extends I upwuirdly from the supports 17, passes over a'wheel, such as a sprocket wheel 21, which may be positioned above the upper support ing member l6,said cable thence extending downwardly to'the counter-balancing weights 19.- The weights 19 are provided with an eye 22 to which the chain 20 is to be attached, and also with a horizontal weight supporting rod 23 having upturned ends 24. Additional weights 25 may be removably quired in the operation of the wheel, for

example, to cause the water wheel to be raised by gravity.

.mounted upon these rods 23, as may be re Suitably mounted'upon the upper endof the sluiceway, or the boxing, as may be preferred, are brackets 26, cooperating with.

side braces 27 which serve to su Jort a horizontal shaft 28, having crank arms--29.' for rotating the shaft. The sprocket wheels 21 are secured to this shaft for rotation therewith, and the shaft is; further pro vided with a ratchet wheel 30 adjacent to each sprocket wheel 21. 'A pawl 31, pivotally mounted at a. suitable place adjacent the ratchet, operates to retain the parts in position when the water wheel 5 is being raisedor lowered by the manually operating means 29. l/Vhen the water wheel is to be raised by gravity means 19, 25, the pawl 81 is disengaged from the ratchet, as will be readily understood.

Should there be considerable water in a stream, the water wheel may be raised to the proper elevation byrmanipulating the crank arms 29, which will raise the horizontal base member 17, carrying the wheel v5, by means of the chains 20 passing over Should the water he very low inthestream, the water wheel the sprocket wheels 21.

could'be lowered to the bottom of the sluiceway by the manually operated means or by gravity; However, it is preferred to make the weights 19 substantially equal to the weight of the water wheel, and to utilize theweights 25 for the purpose of raising the wheel by gravity, when the water wheel is at its lowermost position.

Having thus fully described myinvention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1-- I 1. Ina device of the class described, a frame, a vertical shaft rotatively mounted in fixed relation thereto, a lower horizontal member slidable vertically on said shaft, a Water wheel carried by, said shaft and mov able vertically: with" reference thereto, a horizontal shaft, mounted on said frame above said water-wheel, sprocket wheels car'- ried by said horizontal shaft, means for 1'0- tating said horizontal shaft, and a flexible member connecting said lower horlzontal 'member and said sprocket wheel, whereby said lower horizontal member and the wheel zontal maybe retainedat: various'positions with relation to theshaft.

2, Ina device of'the class described, a

frame, a vertical shaft rotatably mounted in fixed relation thereto, a lower horizontal member slidable vertically on said shaft, a

water wheel carried by said shaft and movable vertically with reference thereto, a hori-' shaft above said water wheel, sprocket Wheels carried by said horizontal shaft, a plurality of counterweights, a housing guide for said counterweights, and flexiand connected at one end to said counterweights and at the other end to said lower horizontal member.

3. In a device of the frame, a vertical shaft carried thereby, a lower horizontal member engaging said shaft, a water wheel carriedby said shaft.

counterweights to said lower horizontal member. I I 1 4. In a deviceof the class described, a

ble'memb'ers engaging said sprocket wheels class described, a

frame, a vertical shaft fixedly mounted to rotate in said frame, a bearing at the base of said frame, said shaft being stepped in i said. bearing, means secured to the-upper end of said shaft to maintain it in'fixed vertical position on the frame, and to form a bearing for theshaft, and awater wheel" carried by saidinner frame and adjustable vertically on .the'shaft, said bearings' serw ing to maintain the shaft in rigid vertical position irrespective of the position of the water Wheel thereon.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, 1n presence of two'witnesses.

, I 7 JOHN HAY.

Witnesses: I I

- HENRY T. KIRBY,

CIiAs. H. MANLEY. 3

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents. Washington, 13. 0. 1 

